


Shared Tastes

by NakedOwlMan



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F, Seduction, Strap-Ons, Threesome - F/F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-28
Updated: 2013-05-28
Packaged: 2017-12-09 18:44:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/776763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NakedOwlMan/pseuds/NakedOwlMan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After discovering a common interest, Alexandra Shepard and Liara T'Soni enter into an unusual relationship, based on seducing as many women as possible into their bed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. PROLOGUE: The Wager

**Author's Note:**

> A fill in progress for the Mass Effect Kink Meme, in response to http://masseffectkink.livejournal.com/6609.html?thread=29247185

Commander Alexandra Shepard ("Alex" to her friends) had been so lost in thought over what had happened earlier that day, she almost didn't hear it at first. But after the second time the visitor triggered the door chime, she finally snapped out of her thoughts. "Come in," she said, looking up from her desk and already relatively certain who would be on the other side of the door.  
  
She wasn't disappointed. "Commander Shepard," said Liara T'Soni, the newest addition to the rather eclectic crew of the Normandy SR-1, as she walked into the captain's cabin. The asari archaeologist stared demurely at the floor as she entered, her hands clasped in front of her nervously.  
  
"Glad to see you're feeling better," Shepard said, standing up at Liara's approach. "That whole 'merging of the minds' thing... that was pretty intense."  
  
They had brought the shaken asari back from the dig site at Therum several hours ago. During the debriefing after they'd arrived back, Shepard had mentioned her exposure to the Prothean beacon to Liara, and it had seemed to re-energize the half-starved, exhausted asari archaeologist. Despite Shepard's concerns, Liara had insisted on performing some sort of asari technique to meld their minds into one consciousness. By doing this, Liara hoped to study first-hand the fragmented vision given to Shepard by the damaged beacon, and try to get a deeper understanding of its contents.  
  
In the end, though, the melding hadn't done much good in decoding what pieces had remained of the Prothean message, and neither of them had learned anything new.   
  
Anything new about the Prothean's final message, that is. Some of the other things Shepard had seen while she and Liara's minds had been one, however...  
  
"Yes, the experience can be quite overwhelming at times," Liara was saying. "Especially when melding with a confident and strong-willed individual such as yourself," she shifted nervously in Shepard's presence. "Actually, that is why I came to see you. I have to make a confession. But... I'm afraid it might be a bit of a delicate subject."  
  
Shepard gave the fidgeting asari a cocky smirk. "Don't worry, Liara. Nothing leaves this room."  
  
"It's just that... I did my best to remain focused on the visions the Prothean beacon put into your mind. But the meld can sometimes be difficult to control," Liara averted her eyes from Shepard's, shame on her face. "Sometimes other memories might come up to the surface, without the other person even intending to see them." Her hands fidgeted some more as she added, "I've heard that this is especially likely if the memories are of a... intense nature. If strong emotions are involved – sadness, anger, or... passion – it can be difficult to avoid catching a glimpse of these memories."  
  
"Hmm, I can think of quite a few of those types of memories in my past," Shepard said. "I'm afraid you're going to have to be a bit more specific about what you saw, Doctor. Some of my... youthful indiscretions on the SSV Einstein, perhaps?"  
  
Shepard didn't know if asari blushed like humans did, but Liara's eyes widened and she brought a hand to her mouth in surprise at Shepard's bold response. "I'm so sorry, Shepard. I didn't mean to, but... yes, I might have seen some of the time you spent aboard that ship. And the... encounters you had with some of the crew when you came of age."  
  
"'Encounters.' That's one way to put it," Shepard said, reaching up to brush back a stray lock of crimson hair. "Or you could say that I spent the four months before I left for the academy having sex with as many of the attractive women on the ship as I could, and left them begging for more when I shipped out." Shepard arched an eyebrow. "Does that about describe what you saw in my memories, Liara?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry," Liara said, nervously meeting Shepard's gaze. "I'm afraid I'm not that familiar with the sexual customs of your species, and... my curiosity got the better of me." She shuffled her feet a bit before speaking. "May I ask you something... if it isn't too personal?"  
  
Shepard let out a light chuckle; "too personal" was putting their current conversation lightly. Regardless, she told Liara, "Go right ahead."  
  
"While I don't claim to be an expert in humans, I was under the assumption that attraction to the same sex was relatively rare among your species," Liara said, her tone turning somewhat clinical. "But from the memories I saw, it seemed that you were able to initiate relations with quite a few of the members of the crew. I suppose part of the reason I was unable to resist intruding upon these memories was that I was surprised at how... successful you were."   
  
Shepard gave this a shrug. "Well, it wasn't exactly a level playing field. Long time cooped up on a ship away from your loved ones, military regs keeping you from sleeping with your fellow soldiers... when an attractive 18-year-old comes around and offers to help you relieve some of your stress, no strings attached... hard to say 'no' to something like that, no matter what gender you are."  
  
"But still... that gunnery officer you took behind the ammunition crates and..." Liara stammered, searching for the most delicate word to describe the memory.  
  
"Yeah, Harbrook," Shepard said, a wistful smile on her face. "Had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep the whole ship from knowing what we were up to, she was so loud. Of course, with the stuff I was doing to her with my _other_ hand, can't say I blame her."  
  
Liara looked embarrassed by the frank discussion, but was still eager to learn more. "Before your encounter began, Harbrook said that she'd never been with another woman before. From what I saw in your memories, several of the other crew members made similar remarks. I guess I'm just curious if human sexuality is always that... malleable."  
  
"Not always," Shepard said. "But with humans, women especially, it's not that uncommon for them to... experiment with it once or twice. Your average woman might spend 99% of their lives in relationships with men, and be absolutely fine with that. But you ask them, and chances are there's always that one night, when the mood was just right," Shepard smirked, "or they just got drunk enough, and they threw caution to the wind and tried something different."  
  
"Yes, like that night on Elysium with you and that woman from..." Liara started to say, before gasping in shock. "Oh, Goddess, that just slipped out!"  
  
Shepard enjoyed watching her squirm. "So, Liara... sounds like you saw more than just some wild nights on the Einstein, then."  
  
Liara looked ashamed. "Yes, I'm afraid I did. Shepard, I... what I did was wrong. It was a violation of your privacy, and I wouldn't blame you if you wanted me off the ship when we arrived at the Citadel."  
  
"Liara, I'm not going to kick you off the ship," Shepard stated. "Don't worry about it, okay?"  
  
"Really?" Liara brightened, starting to babble a little in excitement. "Thank you, Shepard. I'll try to be more careful if we need to meld again. I wouldn't want you to think that I'm... some sort of voyeur. Or that I enjoyed watching you seduce those women. I mean, not that it was unpleasant to..."  
  
"Liara, could you do something for me?" Shepard cut Liara's rapid stream of consciousness off.  
  
"Of course, Shepard. Whatever you need."  
  
Sitting down on the edge of her desk, Shepard crossed her arms under her chest and fixed Liara with an amused stare. "I have to admit, it's been fun watching you put on this little act. But seriously... just cut the crap."  
  
"Shepard, what are you..." Liara started to say, but seeing the look in Shepard's eyes made her pause. Letting out a long sigh, Liara shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose the game is up, then."

With those words, Liara seemed to undergo a complete transformation. Her posture loosened up, and she unclenched her hands in order to lightly rest one against a cocked hip. Her face relaxed, the wide-eyed, innocent stare vanishing. Quickly replaced by a seductive, half-lidded gaze, and a light closed-mouth smile. She stopped averting her eyes from Shepard's and stared boldly at her.  
  
"It was worth a try," Liara said, all the nervousness and meekness gone from her voice. "I guess I wasn't the only one who saw a few tawdry episodes from the past while we were melded."  
  
Shepard nodded. "I gotta give you credit: you've got a good hustle going, T'Soni. The nervous, sheltered virgin. So vulnerable, so innocent in the ways of the world. Just waiting for the right woman to come along and sweep her off her feet, show her the ways of love. Honestly? If I hadn't already seen all the times you'd used this act before, I might have even fallen for it myself."  
  
Liara laughed saucily. "I'm quite positive you would have. You certainly wouldn't have been the first woman to be completely convinced up until the end that _they_ were seducing _me_ , and not the other way around."   
  
"Oh, I definitely saw quite a bit of that when we melded. Of course, once you got them into bed, all bets were off," Shepard said.  
  
"Indeed," Liara replied. "I don't know if you saw my encounter with Matriarch Tilena while you were poking around in my mind?"  
  
"Which one was that? Was that the one you tied up and started spanking with the..."  
  
Liara interrupted with a bawdy laugh. "That was Tyrena. And while that _was_ a stimulating encounter, Tilena was the one I met at the party. The one in the green dress."  
  
"Right. The one you tore off of her. Looked expensive."  
  
"Very. But I'm sure that Tilena would agree that what came afterward was worth every penny. Especially when I pulled out that strap-on to use on her. The look on her face when she realized that this supposedly naïve little maiden, barely past the age of maturity, was about to give her the best fuck she'd ever had in 800 years of life... that's one memory I have no problem sharing at all."  
  
"That's the wonderful part about it, isn't it?" Shepard said, leaning back on her hands on the desk. "In the end, it's not just about your pleasure."  
  
"It's about their pleasure, too," Liara finished Shepard's sentence. "And to be honest, I often find I get more enjoyment out of the hunt itself, rather than the... catch."  
  
Shepard stood up, moving towards Liara slowly. "I totally agree. Each one of them is like a unique puzzle. A challenge for you to tame. They all have desires, needs that are unfulfilled."  
  
Liara watched Shepard approach with a lazy smile. "And with your every word, your every action," Liara continued for Shepard, "you send them the subtle message that _you_ are the answer. The one person who can satisfy every single one of their cravings. All they need to do is just let go of their inhibitions, forget every reason why they _shouldn't_ and focus only on why they _should_ do it..."  
  
"Why they _need_ to do it," Shepard was standing inches away from Liara now, fixing the asari with a seductive stare. "Need it more than food, more than air. And when that moment comes when they surrender, when they're naked and begging for your touch..."  
  
Liara leaned in close to Shepard, her mouth next to Shepard's ear as she lightly breathed out her words. "You give it to them. And when you get to watch them cum for you, see the pure gratitude in their eyes as their muscles clench and their juices drip onto the sheets... that's better than any orgasm I could imagine."  
  
For a short time, neither of them spoke, both of them breathing heavily as they recalled memories – their own and those of the other woman in the room – of slow seductions and long nights of passion.  
  
Finally, Shepard spoke up. "So, Liara. Guess the real question we've got now is... which one of us is doing the seducing here tonight, and which one of us is being seduced?"  
  
Reaching up, Liara put a hand to Shepard's cheek, turning her head to face Liara's. Licking her lips, Liara drew her face close to Shepard's. Shepard closed her eyes, readying herself for the kiss.

"Sorry, not interested," Liara said tauntingly, before pulling back and stepping away from Shepard.  
  
Shepard opened her eyes, surprised as Liara drew back from her. "What do you mean, you're not interested?"  
  
"I just told you, Shepard," Liara said, crossing her arms under her chest. "I'm in this for the thrill of the hunt. And right now, you're like a baby varren tied to a post. Not really much of a challenge."  
  
Shepard was taken aback. "You're kidding me."  
  
"To be honest, I've already set my sights on another member of your crew," Liara casually stated. "I just came here tonight to find out how much of my memories you experienced when we melded." She gave Shepard a sympathetic look. "Shame you saw so much, or we might have ended tonight in your bed after all. But since you already know how I operate, I just need to make sure you're not going to go around warning the crew about me, and ruining all my fun."  
  
Shepard tried her best to hide her disappointment. "I wouldn't dream of it. But if you don't mind me asking, who are you going after? Couldn't be Tali. As persuasive as you are, I don't imagine you could convince her to risk a fatal infection just for a few hours of casual sex."  
  
"No, not Tali," Liara said. Shepard waited for her to say more, but she simply stood and smiled. Obviously wanting Shepard to guess.  
  
"Not sure who else it could be," Shepard said, running through the crew manifest in her mind. "Monica Negulesco, the weapons tech?" Liara shook her head at Shepard's guess. "One of the Draven sisters?" Liara indicated no, and a dirty idea came to Shepard's mind. " _Both_ of the Draven sisters? Damn, if you pulled that one off, I'd make you the new commander of the Normandy out of respect."  
  
Liara gave a taunting laugh. "Not even close, Shepard."  
  
Shepard racked her brain. "Who else is there? I mean, I _know_ it can't be Ashley, so..." Seeing the smirk that came to Liara's face, Shepard's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding me? You're going to try to seduce Ashley Williams?"  
  
"Like I said, Shepard," Liara casually remarked. "I like a challenge."  
  
Shepard raised a hand. "Hold on. There's 'a challenge,' and then there's 'never gonna happen in a million years.' And you managing to get Ash into bed is definitely the latter."  
  
"Because of her religion?" Liara asked. "Shepard, I once had a priestess of Athame down between my legs, while I was sitting in one of the pews of a temple dedicated to Athame. Trust me; religion isn't going to be a problem."  
  
"I'm not even talking about her religion," Shepard said. "I'm talking about the fact that Ashley's military career has been constantly hampered by her grandfather being the only human to surrender to aliens. Do you hear what I'm saying to you? She can barely even stand _working_ with aliens. You think you're going to be able to convince her to _sleep_ with one?" Shepard shook her head. "No way. Trust me on this, Liara: set your sights on somebody else, and leave Ashley to me."  
  
"Oh?" Liara said, her tone intrigued. "So you've already managed to bed the lovely Chief Williams?"  
  
"Not yet, no," Shepard admitted. "But I'm working on it. Been chatting with her since she got on board the ship, and I think it's about time to start dropping some hints."  
  
Understanding dawned on Liara's face. "So, this isn't about you thinking I can't do it. You're just worried I'll get to her before you do!"  
  
"Not a chance," Shepard said. And as she stared down the cocky, beautiful asari seductress in front of her, an idea started to form. "But if you're so sure you're that good, how about a little wager?"

"Seriously, Shepard?" Liara asked. "First one into Ashley Williams's panties wins, is that really what you're proposing?"  
  
Shepard shrugged and looked away. "Of course, if you want to concede defeat right now, that's fine I suppose."  
  
"Alright, then," Liara said. "You have a bet. So, what are the stakes of this contest?"  
  
"You mean besides getting to make that hot little marine squeal?" Shepard asked. Walking to the other side of the room, Shepard opened her personal storage hatch on the wall, and grabbed one of the objects inside to toss onto the bed.  
  
"Winner gets to use that," Shepard pointed at the strap-on resting on the mattress, "on the loser."  
  
Liara walked over and stared down at the sex toy with arched eyebrows. "Mmm. Not sure that's much of a disincentive for losing, but all the same... you've got yourself a bet, Commander Shepard."  
  
They shook hands, both of them already formulating their seduction strategies.


	2. THE SEDUCTION OF ASHLEY WILLIAMS: Open Door Policy

"Got a minute to talk, chief?"  
  
Ashley Williams couldn't hold back the smile that came to her face as she turned to face her commanding officer. "Hey, Skipper. Yeah, I'm not too busy. What's up?"  
  
She had served under quite a few commanders in her time, some of them for very long and aggravatingly boring assignments. And yet, after only a few weeks since she'd transferred to the Normandy, she'd never felt as comfortable with one of them as she did with Commander Alexandra Shepard.   
  
Not that the others were much competition for the Hero of the Skyllian Blitz, though. Despite her exemplary training results and willingness to do whatever it took to make herself useful, most of her previous superior officers looked at her arrival as an insult from the Alliance brass. "If they're giving me the Williams girl," they figured, "I must be on Command's shit list for some reason." And even though many of them ended up valuing her service by the end, and shook her hand with genuine respect when she would inevitably leave for another dead-end posting, Ash had never felt truly welcome in any of her squads until now.  
  
Shepard was different. From the first moment Ashley had been officially transferred to the Normandy, the commander had done everything she could to make Ash feel at home. Shepard paid frequent visits down to the lower decks, and although she usually stopped and chatted with all the aliens first, Shepard always set aside the most time to talk to Ashley. Asking about her family, discussing previous postings. And as far as Ash could tell, it wasn't the obligatory "gotta pretend like I'm interested in my team to keep morale up" bullshit she was used to. Shepard seemed genuinely interested in her. And even if Shepard was just really good at putting on the act, Ash felt like there was a real connection forming between her and the commander.  
  
So when Shepard stopped by to talk, Ashley didn't hesitate to put aside what she was doing.  
  
"Just wanted to make sure you were adjusting to things on the Normandy," Shepard said, her tone pleasantly conversational.   
  
It was one of the things Ashley had come to admire about the veteran soldier, the way she could switch gears almost without effort. A few days ago Ash, Kaidan and Shepard had been battling their way through the mines on Therum. As they had fired on the geth, Shepard had been a level-headed and firm commander, displaying all the same tactical expertise and hard-earned experience that had saved Elysium. It was one thing to read stories about the heroic Commander Shepard; it was quite another to see her in action. From that day on, as they led Dr. T'Soni out of the mines to safety, Ashley knew without a doubt that she would follow this woman into hell itself, and trust that she'd bring them all back alive.  
  
But as soon as they were back on the ship, the stern and hard-nosed commander went away, and Shepard turned back into the genial and friendly woman who had welcomed her onto the Normandy with a warm smile and a pat on the back. With the things Shepard had seen in her service history, Ash wouldn't have been surprised if she had been one of those types who couldn't turn it off. Who treated her underlings like tools to achieve a goal, rather than flesh-and-blood people. But Shepard wasn't like that at all, and Ashley respected the hell out of her for it.   
  
"I'm good, Shepard," Ashley said. "Gotta say, after cooling my heels on Eden Prime guarding a bunch of eggheads and farmers, it's nice to see some action for once."  
  
"Be careful what you wish for. I have a feeling there'll be a lot more fights ahead of us before we manage to track down Saren."  
  
Ashley squared her shoulders. "No worries, skipper. This is what I've been training for since I signed up. I'm not going to bug out on you just because things get a little hairy."  
  
"I never doubted you for a second," Shepard said, and the certainty in her voice gave Ash a thrill down her spine. "But I wasn't just talking about adjusting to the fighting. This is your first shipboard posting, isn't it?"  
  
Ash nodded. "Applied for postings all the time, but always got rejected." Bitterly, she added, "Silly me, I just kept putting down the wrong last name on all the application forms."

"Well, their loss. Reason I ask, though... I know a lot of marines, especially first-timers, have a hard time getting used to being on a ship for extended periods of time. Weeks, sometimes months of isolation, seeing the same thing every damn day. Just wanted to make sure you weren't going stir crazy or anything."  
  
"You pretty much described my last assignment, skipper," Ash said with a wry chuckle. "Up until the geth hit, Eden Prime was about as interesting as a rotating 12-hour shift staring at a brick wall."  
  
Shepard shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Still, there are certain luxuries to a ground assignment you don't get with working in space. Decent meals, room to stretch your legs..." She gave Ashley a crooked smile. "And on those lonely nights, off duty with nothing else to do... those eggheads and farmers must have been good for more than just guarding, right?"  
  
"Shepard!" Ashley exclaimed in surprise, glancing around the lower decks to see if anyone else was paying attention to the suddenly racy conversation. "What exactly are you suggesting, ma'am?" she asked, putting a faux-posh tone in her voice. "I'll have you know that, as a proper lady, I would never dream of doing something as... vulgar as that! And even if I did take some studly young colonist behind the barracks and rob him of his innocence, I'll have you know that I firmly intend to go back after this mission is over and make him an honest man!"  
  
"Uh huh," Shepard deadpanned, and Ashley couldn't hold back her laughter.  
  
"Can't believe this. Here I am with one of the great heroes of the Alliance, a goddamn legend, and we're talking about one-night stands," Ashley said after stifling her chuckles.  
  
Shepard gave her that wicked, crooked smile again. "Legends have urges, just like anybody else. Lesson I learned on _my_ first shipboard assignment actually. I was..." Shepard suddenly looked hesitant. "Nah, I shouldn't tell this story. Might be too obscene for your tender ears."  
  
"Oh, no, you don't!" Ashley chided Shepard as she started to turn away. "You don't tease something like that and not follow through. Come on, I already fessed up about my late-night romp with Adam the sexy farmhand. Give me all the details."  
  
"Well, like I said, it was my first shipboard assignment," Shepard said, moving to Ash's side to lean against the workbench next to her. "I'll never forget how excited I was about it. After waiting so long to finally get a chance to prove myself, this was it. No more training exercises, no more boring garrison work. I was serving the Alliance the way I always knew I could. And not only that, but I was serving under a true, bona-fide hero of the Alliance."  
  
"Captain Anderson?"  
  
Shepard shook her head. "No, this was before Anderson. My commander before him." A far-off look came to Shepard's face, the memory she was recalling obviously a pleasant one. "God, I'll never forget stepping onto the ship for the first time and reporting for duty. It's one thing to read about the battle, listen to the old news reports and study their tactics during training. But when you actually find yourself in the presence of one of your heroes, see them up close and personal for the first time... it was awe-inspiring."  
  
"Shepard, I'm not hearing the obscene part of this little story of yours," Ashley gently chided. "Unless... don't tell me you..." Ashley started to say, then saw the look in Shepard's eyes and gasped. "You didn't? The great Commander Shepard, breaking fraternization regs on her very first assignment? Really, skipper! I am shocked and appalled!" Ashley put a tone of mock outrage in her voice.  
  
"I know, I'm a terrible soldier," Shepard said, gazing down at the floor with an overacted look of shame on her face. "A total disgrace to the Star of Terra."  
  
Ashley patted Shepard on the shoulder. "Well, I'll forgive you, if you give me all the juicy details."  
  
"Really, it wasn't like I set out to sleep with my commanding officer," Shepard said. "I was only a year out of the Academy, and yeah, all those regulations about messing around with your superiors were still fresh in my mind. But the more I worked with Captain Savanta, the more I knew that..."

The sound of the name made Ash's eyes go wide. "Hold on a second," she interrupted. "Captain Savanta, the one who served under Admiral Drescher during the First Contact War?"  
  
Shepard nodded. "That's the one."  
  
Ashley struggled to process this. "Captain _Maria_ Savanta?" When Shepard nodded, Ashley put a hand to her forehead. "Wow, Shepard, I just... not that there's anything wrong with it, but I didn't know you were..."  
  
Ash's discomfort seemed to amuse Shepard. "I'm not. Or at least, I wasn't until I met her. Hell, when I started serving with Captain Savanta, I'd only been with two _men_ in my life before that, and _never_ with a woman. So at first, when I started having these... feelings about her, I just chalked it up as hero worship. Told myself that the excitement I felt every time we locked eyes was just the thrill of working with someone I looked up to and admired. The thought of me and her actually doing something like that... it was the last thing I would have ever considered."  
  
"So... what changed your mind?" Ashley asked. Admittedly, she was a bit less interested in this story now that there was no mature-but-still-ruggedly-handsome male officer involved, but she didn't want to seem like a prude, and cut Shepard off in the middle of a story she obviously wanted to tell.  
  
"It wasn't really any one particular thing that happened," Shepard said, gazing off into the distance as she reminisced. "Hell, even when gossip got back to me that the captain was a lesbian, it still didn't dawn on me at first that what I was feeling was more than just a mentor/student bond. But about a month into my assignment, was when I had the first dream." Ash was surprised to see Shepard blush a little. "Never forget how embarrassed I was when Lieutenant Barnes shook me awake, told me I'd been moaning 'Maria' in my sleep for the past half hour."  
  
Ash found it hard to picture the hero of Elysium being embarrassed. Or picture her with another woman, doing... no, that was one image she _definitely_ shouldn't linger on. "So, you made a move on her then?" she asked quickly.  
  
"Are you kidding?" Shepard exclaimed incredulously. "I would have never had the nerve to do something like that! When I finally figured out that I was attracted to the captain, I could barely even look at her without getting all... flittery. Whenever she was around, I would spend half the time denying that I could possibly feel that way about another woman, and the other half fantasizing about the things I would let her do to me if she ever got me alone."  
  
Dammit, there it was again. Ash found herself regretting watching those vids about Captain Maria Savanta and her heroics during the First Contact War. As a result, she knew Savanta's face (and body) well enough to vividly picture her and Shepard stripping down and...  
  
"Eventually," Shepard said, and Ashley banished the erotic image out of her mind, "it got to the point where it was affecting my duties, and Maria finally noticed. She called me to her cabin, and asked me flat out. 'Do you want me, Shepard?' She was so up-front about it, so bold, that I didn't even stop to think before I told her. 'Yes,' I said. 'Yes, I want you, Maria.' And I'll never forget what she said to me after that."  
  
Glancing around the ship to see if anyone was listening, Shepard shifted on the workbench, leaning in close to Ashley to speak the next words in a low, throaty voice. "'We only get tonight, Shepard. Tomorrow morning I'll be your commander, and you'll be my subordinate. I won't treat you differently than another other soldier under my command, and I'll expect you to serve to the best of your ability. But just for tonight... forget about ranks. There are no protocols in this cabin tonight, no regulations to break. Tonight we're not soldiers. We're two women who desperately need to be with each other, and just get one night to satisfy as many of our desires as we can. If that's an acceptable arrangement, then take off your uniform and come over to my bed.'"

Letting out a deep sigh, Shepard stared up at the ceiling with a contented smile. "And what happened after that was... well, I won't go into all the juicy details. But I will say this: I've been with a couple of men since Maria, and it's been alright. But no matter how skilled they are, no man can ever quite touch you the way another woman can. Find just the right spot to hit to make every nerve in your body feel like it's firing off at once. The things we did that night, all the ways that she made me..."   
  
Snapping out of her memories, Shepard looked a little sheepish as she came back to reality. "Anyway, all I'm trying to say is that heroes are human beings, just like anybody else. We've got our flaws, our weaknesses like anyone else. So I don't want you to ever feel intimidated by me, think that you can't come to me with anything."  
  
Pushing away from the workbench, Shepard gave Ashley an open-mouthed smile. "So, if you ever have something to discuss with me, or need anything at all... my cabin door is always open if you want me."  
  
"If I want..." Ashley stammered, taking a second to gather her wits and make a coherent response. "O... of course, Shepard. I appreciate that. Um... I should... get back to work on this rifle. But thanks for stopping by."  
  
"Anytime, chief," Shepard said, turning to walk casually away from the flustered marine.  
  
As she made her way towards the lift, Shepard reminisced about her encounter with Captain Savanta. The story she had told Ash was true... mostly. Maria had indeed asked Shepard "Do you want me?" that night. But it hadn't been asked in the blunt, gruff way she had related it to Ash, but in a nervous, almost trembling voice. When Shepard had confidently responded in the affirmative, Maria had begun stammering something about regulations, and how Shepard would have to transfer off of the ship before her distracting presence caused Maria to make a poor judgment call.  
  
And that was when Shepard had moved in close to Maria, and told her to forget about ranks. That there would be no protocols in Maria's cabin that night, no regulations to break. Tomorrow, they would be back to being commander and subordinate. But tonight, they weren't soldiers. They were two women who desperately needed to be with each other.  
  
It was a damn good speech. Shepard had been proud of herself for coming up with it so quickly at the time.   
  
In the end, though, it turned out to only rank about fourth or fifth on the list of skillful acts she pulled off with her tongue that night.


	3. THE SEDUCTION OF ASHLEY WILLIAMS: Making Connections

Many things had improved in the transfer from Eden Prime to the Normandy. One thing that hadn't was the quality of the food.  
  
Sitting alone at the small dining table, Ashley picked with her fork at the slimy brown pile of gravy and unidentifiable meat on her plate. Yeah, it was better than the tasteless MREs that she'd been forced to swallow down during long training exercises, but not by much.  
  
Ah, well. Tomorrow, they'd be returning to the Citadel, for Shepard to check in with Udina about their successful rescue of Dr. T'Soni. Maybe while they were there, she'd be able to find something decent to...  
  
"Pardon me. Do you mind if I sit?"  
  
And speak of the devil's daughter. Ashley looked up from her poor excuse for a meal to see the nervous asari standing at the chair across from her, holding a tray and looking at Ash in anticipation.  
  
"Go ahead," Ashley said, with not much invitation in her voice. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the blue-skinned woman laid down her tray and primly took her seat.  
  
It wasn't that she was an alien, Ash told herself. Like she'd said to Shepard during their first conversation after Garrus and Tali had joined the crew: if serving on this ship meant she'd have to work alongside non-humans for the first time, Ash was willing to adapt.  
  
But something still rubbed her wrong about the situation with Liara. Not only were they taking in the daughter of Saren's main collaborator, but they were going to be putting a gun in her hand and going into battle with her. If Liara was secretly working with Benezia, it would be trivial for her to "accidentally" put a few rounds into Ash's or Shepard's head in the heat of battle.  
  
It was only logical. Even if the woman sitting opposite of her was a human, Ash believed she'd be just as suspicious of her, and rightfully so. So she didn't make small talk, and simply worked on finishing up her meal, barely even acknowledging Liara's presence.  
  
"Chief Williams, may I ask you a question?"  
  
Ash felt herself tense up slightly as the sound of Liara's voice. Trying her best not to show her unease, Ash looked up from her plate and gave the asari a light, forced smile. "Sure, what's up?"  
  
"Your grandfather is General Williams, the human who surrendered to the turians on Shanxi?"  
  
It wasn't exactly the best way to start a conversation, and Ash felt her smile fade away. "Been doing a little research on me, Dr. T'Soni?" she asked, trying her best to keep her tone civil.  
  
She obviously didn't conceal her emotions all that well, though, because Liara immediately put a hand to her mouth, her eyes going wide. "I'm sorry if I've offended you," she quickly said, voice as meek as a mouse. "I just..."  
  
"It's okay, Liara. Not like it isn't a matter of public record, anyway. To answer your question, yes. My grandfather was General Williams, the most famous coward humanity has to offer," Ashley said, voice filled with bitterness. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"I just wondered if... if you ever had the chance to speak to him while he was alive," Liara said.  
  
Ashley didn't know where this line of questioning was going, but she indulged it for now. "A little. Stayed with him a couple of times when I was growing up."  
  
"What was he like?" Liara asked.  
  
"He was... I dunno. Just your average retired military man, I guess. He was always happy to see me, doted on me like most grandfathers do. But even when I was a kid, I could see the sadness he was hiding from me. They'd drummed him out of the military after Shanxi, and I could always tell that part of him wished he was back up there, fighting for his people instead of spending the rest of his life overseeing colony construction. He died when I was seventeen, and the next year I enrolled in the Alliance military."  
  
"So you didn't..." Liara hesitated before asking her next question, wringing her hands in front of her, her plate untouched. "You didn't hate him?"  
  
The question took Ash off-guard, and she didn't know how to answer at first. "Hate... why would I..."  
  
"It's a stupid question, I know," Liara said, her eyes cast down at the table. "I was just curious, because..." Liara looked back up at her. "Ash, you know about my people, and how we breed, yes?"  
  
Ash squirmed a little in her seat, the gear shift in conversation from her grandfather to alien sex damn near burning out her mental clutch. "Yeah, a little. You merge with someone, and their DNA and yours kinda mix together and make an asari baby, right?"  
  
"In layman's terms, that's about right," Liara said. "And ever since my people discovered the other species in the galaxy, our culture has shifted to put a strong emphasis on melding with alien life. Asari breeding with other asari has become somewhat of a taboo among my people."  
  
"Hmm," Ashley grunted. "Not sure what that has to do with wondering if I hated my grandfather."  
  
Liara gave Ash a small, sad smile. "You see, it was rumored back on Thessia that my father was another asari. That I was a pureblood. My mother never talked about it with anyone, so nothing was ever confirmed. But even the rumors led to me being something of an outcast among my people. All my life growing up, I could hear people whispering around me. In school, I never made many friends, and I never quite understood then why the other girls kept their distance from me."  
  
Ashley nodded, remembering back to the first fight she'd ever gotten into when she was a kid. Some older girl had sneeringly asked her if she was part-turian, "since your grandpa's such a big dirty turian-lover." She'd been suspended for a week after belting the other girl in the nose, but nobody at that school ever talked about her grandfather again. Looking at the nervous, meek asari across from her, Ash tried to picture her pulling a similar stunt on one of her classmates, and fought the urge to snicker.  
  
"But when I got older, and understood why they treated me so differently," Liara was saying, "there were times that I... that I hated my mother. Wondered why she couldn't have melded with a turian or a salarian. Anyone but my real father, my asari father." Looking down at the table again, Liara smiled bitterly. "Stupid, I know. Why should I have hated her? It wasn't Benezia's fault that all of those people judged me unfairly. Just like it wasn't your grandfather's fault that you weren't given the same opportunities as other soldiers. He saved innocent lives that day, and because of the prejudices of others, you and your family paid the price for it. "  
  
Ashley was surprised by the turn this conversation had taken. Liara had only sat down about ten minutes ago, and now here she was, baring her soul to someone she barely knew.  
  
And before she knew it, Ashley was talking. "Yeah, it wasn't his fault. But you know? There were some times, I gotta admit, when I resented him for it. Not when I was a kid, but later on. I'd be ticking off the days on another boring assignment, while people like Commander Shepard were out there fighting the good fight against batarian slavers... and I'd think 'Why couldn't you have fought, grandpa? If it had been me in your place, I would have kept fighting to the last man.'" Ashley shrugged slightly. "Thought that way for a good long while, actually. Up until the day I was assigned to Nymex colony, and some old guy asked if my grandfather was General Williams, just like you did. When I told him yes, I expected him to insult me, spit on me, just like everyone else did when they found out. But instead... he just hugged me out of nowhere. Told me that my grandfather saved his life; that he'd been on Shanxi during the First Contact War, and the turians would have probably wiped the entire colony out if he hadn't surrendered. From then on, I never blamed my grandfather for what happened, ever again."  
  
Liara solemnly nodded. "Yes, your grandfather saved a lot of lives that day," she said, looking a bit melancholy as she added, "And meanwhile, my mother is working with Saren, and responsible for all those deaths on Eden Prime." Staring Ashley dead in the eye, Liara's nervous voice suddenly turned firm as she said, "I know that you don't trust me, Chief Williams."  
  
"It's not that, I just..."  
   
She held up a light blue hand to interrupt Ash's protests. "No, I know it's true. And you're right not to trust me. I have to earn that trust, and I fully intend to. I guess what I wanted to say is that... I think we have a lot in common. Both of us have spent our entire lives being judged for something one of our ancestors did. We've had the prejudices of our people constantly hanging over our heads, for something we weren't even responsible for. But working with Commander Shepard, I think we're both going to get the chance to show the galaxy that they've been been wrong about us all this time."  
  
Reaching across the table, Liara extended her hand to Ashley. "I'm not saying we have to be friends," Liara said. "All I ask is this: you watch my back, and I'll watch yours. And together, maybe we'll show Saren and the geth just what a couple of pariahs like us are capable of. What do you say, Chief Williams?"  
  
And Ashley had to admit: the fire she saw from Liara in that moment, the hidden reserves of confidence on display, it impressed the hell out of her. Maybe she didn't entirely trust the asari just yet, but she was definitely willing to give her a shot.  
  
Ashley took Liara's hand in her firm grip and shook. "On the condition that you stop it with that 'Chief Williams' bull, okay? 'Ashley' is just fine," she said, and the smile she gave Liara was genuine.  
  
"Oh, of course," Liara said, and Ashley watched as she immediately returned to her anxious demeanor. "Thank you, Chief Wi...Ashley. If I may, I did have another question for you."  
  
"More about my family? Or something else?"  
  
Liara started back into that hand-wringing again, and Ash found it hard to believe that a second ago, she was firmly stating her intention to go out with Ash and kick Saren's ass together. "It's... a bit of a sensitive question, actually. I'm afraid that you and the rest of the Normandy crew are the first humans I've spent any length of time with. And I was wondering if humans ever... what I mean is... do humans find asari... attractive?"  
  
Ashley let out a laugh. Liara was just full of surprises today. Seeing the sheepish look that came to Liara's face, Ashley quickly spoke up. "Sorry, you just took me off-guard with that one. You might have noticed, but asari and human women actually have a lot in common."  
  
"Yes, I know. But there are differences. I wasn't sure if humans were very particular about the pigmentation of skin or the..." Liara searched for the word, reaching up to run a hand across her head tentacles. "Hair, you call it? I was worried that perhaps your people would find the dissimilar aspects of asari to be unappealing."  
  
"A few might, I'm sure. But most guys only have eyes for two parts of a woman," Ashley said with a smirk, glancing down at Liara's chest. "And from what I've seen, asari have that covered pretty well."  
  
"You mean..." Liara said, then saw where Ashley was looking and let out a surprised gasp, followed by a shy giggle. "Well, you are right about that. But, to be honest... I'm not really interested in what 'guys' find attractive on an asari, if you take my meaning."  
  
Ashley did. "Well, human women are a different story. Not to say all men are shallow pigs, mind you, but women tend to be more complex when it comes to what they find attractive in a person. I mean, me personally, it's more about an emotional connection than whether or not the guy has six-pack abs or the face of a supermodel. There's just a feeling you get, when you spend time around a person and there's that... spark there. It's hard to explain, but when you feel it, it doesn't matter what they look like. You just know it, down in your gut."  
  
"I think I understand," Liara said. "I'm glad to hear that human women are so open-minded."  
  
Ash cocked an eyebrow at her. "So, is there someone in particular on the ship you're hoping to find that spark with?"  
  
Liara averted her eyes, and a hint of a smile came to her lips. "There... might be. But I don't know if she..."  
  
"Liara," said a voice at the other end of the table, and both of them turned towards the new arrival. "Can I talk to you for a second?" Commander Shepard asked.  
  
"Of course, Commander," Liara said, standing up and leaving her meal untouched as she approached Shepard. The two of them walked away, out of earshot from Ashley.  
  
"Shepard, I thought we were going to make this a fair contest," Liara said. While she kept up her external appearance of a shy, nervous demeanor, her low voice had the sultry tones she had spoken to Shepard with in private. "If you think interrupting me in the middle of working on Ash is going to increase your chances, I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken."  
  
Shepard gave Liara a wry smile. "Still 'working' on her, are you? With how sure you were of your skills back in my cabin, I would have figured you to already have Ash bent over the mess hall table with your fingers in her snatch by now."  
  
"I'm taking my time, Shepard," Liara replied. "Figured I'd give you a little handicap, let you keep pace with me. Otherwise this contest would be over entirely too quickly."  
  
"Sure, doctor, sure," Shepard said. "Anyway, just wanted to give you fair warning: you've got until we dock at the Citadel. Because once we arrive, I'm afraid even your goddess wouldn't be able to make Ashley spread her legs for you once I get done with her."  
  
From the table, Ashley watched the two of them talk. She couldn't make out the words, but she didn't need to hear what they were saying to know exactly what was going on between the two of them.  
  
"So, Liara. Guess we know now who's making your purple heart go all a-flutter," she thought to herself, watching the shy asari scientist and bold human commander chat with each other. Damn, it was written all over her face, how badly Liara had already fallen for Shepard.  
  
And considering what Shepard had revealed to Ash about her previous shipboard dalliance, Ash had a feeling that Liara probably had a good shot at the commander.  
  
Dammit, she had to get that idea in her mind. Now, instead of the image of Shepard stripping off her clothes to embrace Maria Savanta, it was the naked blue skin of Liara that Ash was seeing pressing against Shepard's, as the two naked women embraced each other and started...  
  
"Oh, time to get back to duty," Ashley quickly said, jumping to her feet and tossing off a wave at Shepard and Liara before dashing out of the room.


	4. THE SEDUCTION OF ASHLEY WILLIAMS: Feel the Burn

For years, Ash had dreamed about getting the chance to serve on a starship, instead of just using it as transportation to her latest shit garrison position. But when the Normandy had arrived at its latest destination, she had been surprised how eager she had been for the opportunity to get off the ship, and enjoy the wide-open spaces of the Citadel for a change.  
  
It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the chance to prove herself, to be a part of a crew that was actually making a difference in the galaxy for once. But right about now, she felt like she desperately needed a change of scenery.  
  
"And something to focus on other than the Commander," she thought to herself.   
  
There it was. At least on the Citadel, safely away from the ship, she was able to admit it to herself. More and more over the past few days, she had found her eyes lingering on Shepard. Ever since Ash had heard that story about Shepard's first big posting with Captain Savanta, the red-headed commander had seemed to take on a strangely erotic air in Ashley's mind.   
  
It was insane. How many _men_ had she served with in the past few years, that she would have jumped in a heartbeat if it wasn't for regs? And now all of a sudden, this _woman_ of all people was tempting her into breaking every fraternization rule in the book? Insanity, that's what it was.  
  
And Shepard wasn't helping at all. It seemed like, whenever there was spare time, Shepard would always gravitate directly toward Ash's usual spot in the lower decks. Ash was pretty sure that Shepard was just being friendly, and that there was nothing more to it than that.   
  
But every so often, she thought she caught a glimpse of something. A devious glint in Shepard's eyes, a reassuring hand on Ash's shoulder that always seemed like it lingered a millisecond longer than it should. And the way she seemed to put an extra shake in her hips, a little more wiggle in her ass as she walked away from their latest conversation.  
  
My God, that ass. Ashley had always been an unapologetic butt girl, but up until now it had been finely-toned male backsides that set her toes a-curling. These days, though, try as she might to focus on other things, the only ass she could think about was the one that sat in the Commander's chair.  
  
But as much as Shepard had occupied her mind in recent days, Ashley knew it was sure to pass eventually. It was just hero worship, she rationalized. She'd never gotten a chance to fight alongside somebody as famous as Shepard before this assignment, and she was just mistaking her admiration and desire to emulate the famous Commander Shepard as something more than what it was. Just because Shepard's interest in her own storied commander led to something else, didn't mean that Ash's relationship with Shepard had to go down that same road. Give it enough time, and she would see Shepard as her commander, and nothing more.  
  
But goddamn it, why did that woman have to be so fucking sexy?  
  
If there was anything that could take her mind off her confused libido, and work out some of that nervous energy, it was taking advantage of the Alliance outpost and training facility that had been set up on the Citadel. It wasn't a huge building – the Council wasn't going to let a non-member race have a major military outpost at their base of operations, naturally – but it had all Ash needed to take her mind off her recent sexual confusion. A firing range, a boxing ring for a nice spar or two, and a humble little weight room that she was currently making use of.

The gym was empty at the moment. Most of the Alliance military on the Citadel had been called up for active duty, to be prepared for any more geth incursions after Eden Prime. So Ashley had the entire place to herself. The only sound in the small room were her even breaths, as she sat on a padded bench and worked her bicep muscles with a dumbbell in each hand. Nothing like some good, hard exercise to get your head on straight, prepare yourself for the next mission, and banish any thoughts from your mind of your strangely seductive female Commander...  
  
She heard the light whoosh of the automatic door opening behind her. "Hey, Ash," said an all-too familiar voice.  
  
"Shepard!" Ashley said, a little louder than she would have liked. Jumping to her feet in surprise and turning to the door, she gasped as one of the dumbbells nearly slipped from her grasp. It was only Ash's quick reflexes that kept her from crushing a toe or two. "I thought you were meeting with Udina," Ashley said, trying her best to appear nonchalant.  
  
Shepard let out an pained sigh. "Yeah, well, you know how he is. I checked in to brief him about Dr. T'Soni, and ducked out as soon as possible."  
  
"Oh, so time to head back already?" Ash said, laying down her dumbbells and wiping her sweaty palms on her dark workout pants.   
  
It was only after saying this that she allowed her eyes to drift down Shepard's body, and saw that the Normandy's commander was wearing workout gear herself. Although Ash couldn't help but notice that the outfit her commander was wearing was quite a bit different from your average Alliance issue clothing. The dark top she wore clung tightly to her bust, putting an almost scandalous amount of cleavage on display and leaving her washboard abs bare and open for rigorous inspection. And the grey cotton shorts Shepard wore were tight enough to allow Ashley a faint but unmistakable impression of Shepard's... anatomy underneath. It took Ash a second to realize that she was staring at her Commander's crotch, and her eyes darted back up to Shepard's. Again, she thought she saw a hint of mischievousness in those green eyes of hers, but it was gone almost as soon as Ash noticed it.  
  
"Not just yet," Shepard was saying. "Some Alliance big-shot demanded that we let him give the Normandy a thorough inspection before we set out. So, we've got a few hours to kill, probably. Figured I'd get a little light exercise in before we leave." Glancing around the room, Shepard said. "Unless I'm intruding, of course."  
  
"No, not at all," Ash said, breaking the suddenly uncomfortable eye contact with Shepard to look down at the barbells at her feet. "I'd like the company, actually," she lied. The last person she wanted to see in her current state – heart pumping and adrenaline racing – was the woman who had been making her feel these uncomfortable urges lately. But she sure as hell wasn't going to say, "Sorry, Shepard, but I'd rather you leave, before I can't resist the urge to tear off my clothes and offer myself to you," so she instead resolved to focus on finishing her workout, and making her exit as soon as possible without arousing Shepard's suspicions.   
  
Returning to her seat, Ash tried her best to focus on her own exercises, alternating between arms as she lifted the weights in her hands. It was starting to work, until she caught a glimpse in one of the floor-to-ceiling mirrors on the wall. Shepard was engaging in a series of stretching exercises, extending her arms and swinging them slowly up to above her head. When she brought them back down behind her back, she bent slightly, giving Ash an even better view down her tight workout top. Turning away from the arousing reflected image, Ash stared intently at the dumbbell in her right hand, trying to ignore the small grunts Shepard was emitting as she worked her muscles.  
  
"So," Ashley said, hoping that idle conversation would take her mind off the strange but tantalizingly erotic thoughts that were suddenly flooding her mind. "How'd things go with the ambassador?"  
  
"Amb **ass** ador just about describes it," Shepard remarked. Something about the sound of her voice was different, and Ashley ventured to look over at Shepard. And what she saw just caught her breath in her throat.

"You don't know how glad I was," Shepard said, down on one of the workout mats on the floor, "getting the hell out of that place and leaving Udina behind." She was on her hands and knees and facing away from Ashley, rocking back and forth in order to stretch out her back muscles.  
  
And putting her gorgeous ass on display, directly in Ash's view. The tight shorts Shepard was wearing left almost nothing to the imagination, the grey fabric clinging to her beautifully-rounded buttocks before disappearing slightly into the crack of her ass. They were just skimpy enough for Ash to get brief glimpses of the lower curve of Shepard's backside as she grunted and stretched back and forth.   
  
"You're staring, Ash," she mentally admonished herself. "Stop staring." But her eyes were in open revolt against her brain's authority, and remained locked on the gorgeous mounds of flesh struggling to escape the confines of Shepard's undersized gym shorts.  
  
"Udina can be such a pain in my ass sometimes," Shepard was saying, apparently obviously to Ashley's ogling. "The way he acts, it's like he thinks we're a bunch of useless bums, and not a crack team of soldiers. We're not out there shaking down mercenaries for their booty. We're saving the galaxy, dammit! You think I wouldn't have to kiss his backside just to get a bit of respect, you know?"  
  
"Yeah, definitely," Ash agreed. Her jaw dropped as Shepard concaved her back and thrust her ass upward.  
  
"Sorry to make you listen to me moan, Ash," Shepard said, appearing to be obviously to the effect her stretches were having on her comrade. "It's just... as far as days go, this one is ranking pretty near to the bottom. First Udina, and now this Mikhailovich. Last thing I needed today was some rear admiral getting all up in my face, on top of everything else." Letting out a breath, she arched her back, and then thrust her hips back up again.  
  
"Shepard, if you don't stop that soon," Ash thought frantically, "I won't be held responsible for my actions."  
  
Glancing over her shoulder, Shepard gave Ashley a crooked smile. "So, Ash, you just gonna keep staring all day, or you gonna join me down on this mat?"  
  
"What?" Ash yelped, quickly averting her eyes and trying her best not to sound guilty. "Shepard, I'm not sure what... I wasn't..."  
  
Spinning around to turn in Ash's direction, Shepard sat cross-legged on the workout mat. "Come off it, Ash. I went to the same Academy you did. They never were good at teaching us proper stretching exercises, were they?" She beckoned with a finger. "Get down on the mat with me, Ash. I know some tandem stretching exercises that'll loosen you right up."  
  
The thought of getting down on the mat, grabbing onto Shepard, and "loosening up" was just about the last thing Ashley wanted on her mind in her current state. "No, thanks. I stretched before you got here. And right now I'm in the mood for something a little more strenuous than that." She glanced over at another workout bench and cocked a hip. "So, Shepard? What's your limit?"  
  
Shepard followed Ash's gaze over to the weight bench. "Never been one for pure strength," Shepard said casually. "Tend to work more towards tone."  
  
"You turning chicken on me, Shepard?" Ash said, a light tone of mockery in her voice. "Come on, fess up. How much do you bench?"  
  
Shepard rose to her feet. "Last time I did it... think I was able to get up to 115. But that just about wrecked me."  
  
"115, really?" Ash said, trying her best not to sound impressed. In truth, she had just barely managed five reps at 110 during her last good workout. "Well, guess I'm gonna have to give you a lesson in true marine strength, ma'am. Set me up for 120."  
  
Getting into bench press position, Ash watched as Shepard placed weights on the ends of the metal bar. Ash tried not to sneak a peek as Shepard bent down low to grab another dark circular weight and hoist it up onto the bar.  
  
"You sure about this, Ash?" Shepard said, as she fastened the weights into place. "Still a long fight ahead of us, and I'd hate for you to spend it in the infirmary with a broken clavicle or something just as painful."  
  
"With all due respect, ma'am," Ash said with a smirk, "shut up and spot me."

Shepard shook her head, getting her hands in position at Ash's head, her hands wrapped around the bar. "Well, if you're sure. Let's do this."  
  
Ash let out a low grunt as the heavy weights were lifted off the stand, and the sizable mass began pressing down on her arms. Shepard kept her hands gripped on the metal bar until Ash was in position to begin.  
  
The first rep was deceptively easy. "One," she flatly proclaimed, after lowering the weight down and raising it back up in the air. Bringing it back down to her chest, Ash took several deep breaths, readying herself for the next effort.  
  
Gritting her teeth, she pressed up with all of her upper body strength on the bar. She could feel the muscles in her arms tighten, but despite the strain she managed to straighten them out enough to hoist the weight as high as she could manage.  
  
"Two," she grunted, letting out a breath as she slowly lowered the weight back down to her chest. Shepard kept her hands loosely around the bar, not gripping but ready at a moment's notice to grab hold if it looked like Ash wasn't going to make it.  
  
Ash furrowed her brow, swallowed, and pressed upward again. "Th...three," she weakly proclaimed, already feeling her arms start to weaken from the exertion. As the bar lowered back down to her chest, Ash began to consider how humiliating it would be at this point to cry uncle.  
  
"Ready to stop?" she heard Shepard say, and that was enough for Ash to push onward. Her teeth pressed together so hard, she thought they might shatter in her mouth as she put all of her strength to bear on lifting the weight up again.  
  
"Four," Ashley said as soon as her arms were fully extended. Just one more.  
  
She lowered the weight down to her chest, ready to press up and finish the last rep... and it just wasn't there. She put all of her energy into raising the weights up again, and nothing happened.  
  
"You okay, Ash?" she heard Shepard ask. Ashley nodded her head, while her face turned red from the struggle to lift the weight up for the fifth time.  
  
"Just... one more..." Ashley muttered out loud, feeling the cold steel of the weight bar against her chest as she struggled to push it off. "Come on..."  
  
"Ash," she heard Shepard say, and she looked up to see Shepard locking her eyes with Ash's. She expected Shepard to tell her to give up, that she'd been beaten.  
  
But instead, Shepard smiled. "You can do this."  
  
"Shepard, I... I can't..." Ash admitted. "I've got no more left, Shepard."  
  
"Listen to me, Ash," Shepard said, her hands still around the bar but not gripping yet. "I know you think that it's not possible. That there's no way you could ever do this. Your mind is telling you, 'No.' 'Stop.' 'This can't happen.' But forget about what your mind says, Ash. Just look into my eyes, and listen to what your body is telling you. Because it wants this, Ash, I'm sure of it. Your body knows what it wants, what it craves more than air. So forget all the naysayers, all the men who want to tell you, 'This isn't what women were meant to do. They're not meant to fight, to have muscles. They're meant to marry a nice guy, have children. There's supposed to be huddled up by a fire with knitting needles, not clinging to each other for warmth in a cold foxhole while bullets fly around them.' That's all bullshit, and you know it, Ash. So forget about all those guys back home who want you barefoot and pregnant in their kitchens, and just think about me. I want this just as much as you do, Ash. So stop thinking about it, and just do it."  
  
The bar budged, just a little. "That's it, Ash," Shepard said, her voice low and breathy, her eyes unblinkingly focused on Ash's. "Harder, Ash. Push it. Don't think about anything else. Saren, Benezia, the Geth... that's all out there. None of that matters now. In here, it's just you and me. Just do it for me this once, Ash, and I promise it'll feel amazing when it's over."  
  
Ash let out a strained cry, and the bar raised just a little bit more. "Do it, Ash," Shepard urged her, breathing a bit heavily herself. "Yes, yes, yes. That's it. Just a little bit more. Harder... harder... it's so close now, Ash. Oh, God, you're so close now. Do it. Do it for me. You can do this. Just a little..."

"Five!" Ash proclaimed in triumph, as the weight was extended up as high as it could go. The reps done, Shepard took hold of the bar and helped Ashley as she returned it to the rack. Ashley barely felt the pain in her arms as she sat up on the bench. She couldn't hide the grin on her face, the triumph she felt over beating her previous record, with Shepard's help.  
  
"Never should have doubted you, Ash," Shepard said, walking around the bench and offering her hand to Ashley.  
  
Grabbing hold, Ashley allowed herself to be pulled upward. She wasn't ready for the strength of Shepard's pull, however, and she found herself falling against Shepard's body as she rose.  
  
For a moment, their eyes met. And in that moment, Ashley knew without a doubt that she was going to kiss this woman. She knew it was the rush of adrenaline, the giddiness of the moment that had taken her out of her right mind. But she didn't care.   
  
She moved closer, Shepard showing no surprise as Ashley's lips closed the distance towards hers. And just as they were about to meet...  
  
"Oh, excuse me!" said a voice. Ashley gasped at the new arrival and stepped quickly away from Shepard, her face now red from embarrassment as well as exertion.  
  
"Dr. T'Soni," Shepard said, her voice slightly cold at the asari's arrival. "Wouldn't have expected to see you here. You don't seem the weightlifting type."  
  
Even with her limited experience with human interaction, Liara could obviously tell she had stepped into the middle of something, and she awkwardly shuffled her feet. "You're right, I'm not. I was... well, I was actually looking for Chief Williams." Turning her attention to Ash, Liara's hands fidgeted as she spoke. "I was... wondering if I might ask you for some assistance with something. I know we don't have much time left for shore leave and... well, obviously you're busy here. I'm sorry, I'll just..."  
  
"No, no, that's okay," Ash said, the rush of excitement at her sudden, unexpected closeness with Shepard draining away. With the realization of what she was about to do with Shepard, she seized on the opportunity to be away from the aggravatingly attractive Commander. "Let me just take a quick shower and I'll meet you outside of the locker rooms."  
  
"Hitting the showers already?" Shepard said, disappointed. "Well, suppose I should join you, get cleaned up to head back to..."  
  
Ash's eyes bugged out. "That's okay, Shepard," she quickly interjected. "You spent your whole workout time spotting me, after all. Why don't you finish up in here while I go help out Liara?"  
  
Again, she thought she saw one of those strange looks come to Shepard's eyes. An annoyed glare over at Liara that only lasted for a split second, before turning to Shepard's usual friendly smile. "Suppose you're right. See you back on the Normandy, then?"  
  
"Sure thing," Ashley said, quickly darting out of the room and making her way to the showers.  
  
Right about now, she was thinking she needed a very, very cold one.


End file.
